Police have launched a state-wide drive to confiscate and seize American scholar James Laine's controversial book, "Epic of Shivaji", after the Maharashtra Government banned the book following some derogatory remarks in it about the warrior king.

Director General of Police P S Pasricha told PTI orders to seize the book have been issued all over the state after the ban on Monday. "The government has imposed the ban on the book since some portion in it is not written in good taste and casts aspersions on Chhatrapati Shivaji", he said.

Police said the success of the drive to seize the book will be known only by Wednesday after all police units in the state send a feedback.

Apparantly there was no such drive launched in Mumbai. Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) Arup Patnaik told PTI he was yet to go through the directions of the government and, therefore, would not comment about the drive.

According to sources, the ban on the book comes in the wake of representations received by the state Home Ministry from several quarters, including social groups, about "offensive remarks on Shivaji".

The reasons cited for banning the book, published by Orient Longman, include "possible threat to law and order situation and social stability," official sources said.

Laine's earlier book, 'Shivaji - Hindu King in Islamic India' was banned in January 2004 after the state government received objections to the derogatory references in that book about Shivaji Maharaj's parentage.